CHICAGO -- In their eighth season since joining the NHL, the Blue Jackets will get their first
chance to play for the league's ultimate trophy.

The Blue Jackets are in the Stanley Cup playoffs -- how long have you waited to read that, Blue
Jackets fans? -- after a 4-3 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks last night in front of 21,536
in the United Center.

"I don't know if it has quite sunk in yet," captain Rick Nash said. "We're so used to just
playing out the season, at least the last 10 games or so. This is huge. I'm really happy for our
fans. They've waited a long time for this, too."

Defenseman Fedor Tyutin, chosen on the whim of coach Ken Hitchcock to take the second attempt,
scored the only shootout goal. It was the first shootout attempt of Tyutin's career.

When a third-round attempt by the Blackhawks' Dave Bolland sailed wide of goaltender Steve
Mason, Blue Jackets players streamed off the bench, pumping their fists, swatting each other with
their stick blades and mobbing Mason. Never again will they hear the phrase, "The Blue Jackets are
the only NHL club that has never made the playoffs."

"It's not so much relief," Hitchcock said. "I'm just happy for our guys. I'm happy that they got
rewarded for the work they put in. And the people in Columbus who have stuck by this club they're
now going to taste what they've deserved for a long, long time."

The Blue Jackets, who are sixth in the Western Conference, would play Calgary in a best-of-seven
first-round series if the season ended today.

Rick Nash and Antoine Vermette each had a goal and an assist, and Jason Williams also scored for
the Blue Jackets, who came back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to win.

It was fitting that Nash, the team captain and one of its longest-tenured members, scored with
5:30 remaining in the third period to force overtime. Nash took a pass from Jason Chimera down low
and lifted the puck over the right pad of goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin to make it 3-3.

"It was a weird forecheck," Nash said. "The puck was bouncing and bouncing. It just kept
bouncing. (Chimera) made a great play. It's almost like it was meant to be, to go in the net."

Hitchcock took it a step further.

"Nash scored the biggest goal in the history of the franchise," Hitchcock said. "It's scored by
your captain, by your best player at the most opportune time. To me, it's fitting for Rick Nash,
for his legacy, for this franchise."

After Nash scored, the Blue Jackets needed only to get the game to overtime to earn one point in
the standings and clinch a playoff spot.

So they went into shut-down mode, taking few chances beyond the neutral zone.

"After (Nash) scored, we knew we had to be perfect," center R.J. Umberger said. "That's the
point we needed."

Chicago dominated overtime, and with 30 seconds left Tyutin had little choice but to hook
Bolland, who was zooming in on Mason for a clean look.

With 2.8 seconds left and the Jackets fending off a 4-on-3 power play, Mason made a pad-stacking
save on Martin Havlat.

"I got a piece of it," Mason said. "It was just kind of desperation."

After the game, the Blue Jackets did not celebrate with champagne. No loud music, either. The
air was a mixture of joy and relief.

"It's just the start," right winger Jared Boll said. "We're happy to get into the playoffs.
That's everybody's goal. But it's just the start of a long journey for us."